AP Photo/Seth WenigBrook Lopez, seen here in a file photo, has re-signed with the Nets and can now turn his attention to the newest "Batman" movie, among other things.

NEW YORK — Brook Lopez re-emerged into an empty hotel ballroom in Brooklyn wearing a backward cap and spinning a black Nets basketball on his index finger.

His news conference here, to reintroduce him as a member of the team following the signing of a four-year, $60 million free-agent deal, was over now and conversation returned to the essentials: comic books, the new “Batman” film and a cruise Lopez intends to take with friends.

For the better part of half an hour today, the longest-tenured Net waded his way through questions about a bumpy July: how he was part of proposed trade packages for Dwight Howard; how his new contract may still be a launching pad for the Nets to deal him in January (teams can trade re-signed players beginning on Jan. 15); and how he was courted away by the only team he ever wanted to play for.

Lopez greeted most of the questions with a laugh, a passing gesture resembling that of a preoccupied teenager.

“It didn’t bother me too much only cause I don’t read a lot of stuff you guys write or put on the internet or whatever TV station you guys got,” said Lopez, who said he felt the Nets had faith enough in him not to trade him midseason.

“I keep to myself mostly and I read a lot of books and comic books. They don’t mention Dwight Howard too much.”

In the court of public opinion, Lopez has emerged as the antithesis to Howard. In the offseason he is quiet, nestled in his own interests outside of basketball. He never speaks of leverage, demands or dream teams. When he says he never imagined playing for another team, he is believable.

When his head coach says he’s happy to have kept Lopez despite all the three- and four-team deals reportedly proposed to land Howard, it makes sense.

“When your name is brought up in rumors or trade speculation, I told Brook to take it as being flattering because he’s wanted by other teams,” head coach Avery Johnson said. “When you’re one of the top five centers in the NBA, there are 25 other teams that want his services — we’re glad it worked out where he’s here.”

This much was evident when Johnson felt the need to take a 45-minute drive to Lopez’s New Jersey-based summer basketball camp for a private conversation in late June.

Free agency was set to open on July 1 and Lopez — a Net since the 2008 NBA Draft — had never let the process truly pummel him. He’d been mentioned in various rumors before, but Johnson knew Lopez was about to be inundated. He wanted to lend a hand.

“It was trying to get ahead of what I saw coming down the pipe,” Johnson said.
“I didn’t want him to feel like he was on an island by himself. I wanted to reiterate some of the things I told him about his game, about how we wanted him to be a part of what we were doing here.”

Note: Lopez said that his rehabilitation from a foot injury that caused him to miss all but five games last season is going well and he expects to be 100 percent for the start of training camp. ... Johnson said he’s happy the team appears to be done acquiring players, with two exceptions: The Nets are still in the market for a veteran backup center and another body at the No. 3 spot.